Police sketches depict suspect with new look

By Rhonda Cook

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Two revised sketches of Athens shooting suspect George Zinkhan may make it easier to spot him even if he has shaved off his hair or beard, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation artist who developed the different looks for investigators.

"You'd be surprised at how much different people look with head gear or a beard," said Marla Lawson, who has been with the GBI 13 years.

Athens police Wednesday released two new sketches of Zinkhan, one showing him without a beard and the other clean-shaven and bald.

"This is just another tool we're using to get people to think outside the box. That's the only reason we did it," said Athens-Clarke County Police Capt. Clarence Holeman, who is leading the investigation.

Lawson said she was asked only to provide a sketch of Zinkhan beardless but she also provided a drawing of him bald because "if he's got those clippers in his hands, he may just run that buzz saw up his head. There's no telling what he will look like when they find him."

When Zinkhan was last seen on April 25, minutes after he allegedly shot and killed his wife and two others at the Athens Community Theatre, near the University of Georgia campus, he had a full beard that was graying.